Welcome To Forks
by Karinne
Summary: What if Buffy went to Forks ? Read to see what's happening ! R&R please !
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

My name's Buffy Summers. I'm 17 and I'm currently on my way to Forks, a little town in Washington State – very far away from the sun of California – and I wish I was like any other girls of my age but I'm not: I already have a kind of job, I'm the vampire slayer. Chosen by someone or something to kick ass to creatures such as vampires. I've never asked for anything, I just want a normal life with my Mom and I hope I could in Forks; maybe vampires enjoy the South more than the North… Am I right? No? Oh dear, great.

My mother's car wasn't really the best to travel a long distance, and I kept complaining myself:

"Why in Forks? Why so far from the sun? Mom, you used to love the sun in L.A, don't you?"

She turned to look at me, exhausted.

"Buffy, I want to start from scratch and this is what you need too, don't you think? Listen, you're pretty, young and clever even if some people often deny it, you'll have great opportunities over there. And you'll love the house I found."

I raised an eyebrow, remembering she chose the house by herself.

"Yes, I forgot this; you could've shown me at least, I'm sure it's made of wood anyway." I sighed and crossed my arms against my chest. I deeply know she wanted what was best for me, she was the only person who had faith in me yet. I shouldn't be so unfair with her. But I couldn't help myself having this bad feeling inside of me, my slayer instinct was telling me something bad was coming…

I looked under my seat and found what I wanted: sunglasses. I turned to my mom who was staring at me, doubtful.

"What? I know I won't need this in Forks but I want to imagine a last time what it's like to wear sunglasses. And remember that our name is "Summers".

She smiled at me and focused her attention on the road again. I closed my eyes and tried to think of absolutely nothing but the engine of the car.

*******

_Buffy? Buffy? Wake up honey, we're home._The distant voice of my mom and the feeling of her moving me awoke me.

"We're in Forks? Already?" I cleared my throat.

"I didn't know you snored while sleeping. That was cute." Pfff, only a mother could find this cute.

I rolled my eyes and put my seatbelt off, and then got off the car. I removed my sunglasses and studied the roundabouts; green, green and… green? Everything was green in here: the trunks of the trees, the grass everywhere, even the windows of the houses were green! And I guessed right: the houses were all made of wood.

"Buffy, look at all this green, it's amazing! What do you think?"

I stared at her and didn't need to answer. She understood and came next to me:

"You're going to love this place honey, I swear," she said, rubbing my shoulders. I faked a smile and took my luggage at the rear of the car.

I came into the house – well, our house – and admitted I was surprised. The house inside looked totally different from the outside; whereas the outside looked dull and sad, the inside was warm and colorful. Yellow and light blue were the two main colors of the walls, the hall had beautiful wallpaper made of shapes of orange and yellow flowers, the kitchen was a little small but it was blue – I loved blue – and the living-room was brown and white, and I now hoped my room was as cool as this place. My mom caught my joyful mood and told me:

"Go check your room," she winked right after.

I smiled, in a hurry to discover it and went upstairs with my luggage on my back, not caring to pay attention to pretend it was heavy for me.

"Honey, isn't it too heavy for you? Do you want help?" My mother frowned at me, worried.

"Oh, no it's ok, solid as a rock," I said, pointing my arms.

She smiled and disappeared in the living-room. I winced at myself.

"Silly me!" I whispered.

I had my own bathroom at least, that rocked. I opened the door of my room and made a face as I came in. This was much more than I imagined, this room was big, with pink wallpaper, a big window and a bed with a black blanket and purple pillows – exactly the ones I wanted, my mom was the best.

I put my luggage on the ground, a flooring one, and sat on my bed. It begins well after all, I told myself.

*******

After I was done with emptying my luggage, I decided I wanted to go downtown – even if I wasn't sure there was a downtown in such a little place – so I warned my Mom.

"Mom, I'm going for a walk in town, see you later."

"Be careful, Buffy."

"Always am." I smiled back at her and got out.

Obviously, there were thick clouds in the sky but I heard it was very usual in here. People seemed friendly, those I passed by said "hello" – something you can't have in Los Angeles – and I decided to go near the high school, just to make sure I knew where it was. As I walked on the pavement, I noticed a cruiser and a van in a yard; a police man and an Indian one were talking cheerfully. They smiled at me as I passed by them and the police man told me:

"Hello, you're the newcomer, right? The Summers?"

Wow. How does he know my name?

I smiled as pleasantly as possible. "Absolutely. Buffy Summers." We shook hands.

"I'm the Chief Police, Charlie Swan, and this is Billy Black."

"Nice to meet you." Billy Black smiled back at me.

I noticed this man was on a wheelchair, he seems really nice, I knew there was an Indian reservation in La Push, I liked this part of this town, it's authentic.

Charlie Swan told me: "So you'll be going to Forks High school I assume."

"Yeah, I was going for a walk right now to make sure I knew where it was."

He chuckled. "You know, you can't really get lost in here, except if you go into the woods, which I don't advice you to."

That made me curious. "Why that?"

"My daughter, Bella, asked me the same thing when she first came here a few months ago and I'm telling you the same answer; too many bears."

"Oh, right. Bears." To me, this was not a real danger. "So, your daughter, Bella, is going to Forks High school too?"

"Sure, she's very nice, maybe you'll have some classes together. Right now, she's at her boyfriend's so I guess you'll see her tomorrow. And you'll also see him, he's a nice boy too; everyone was nice for Bella's first day so I guess it'll be the same for you."

Has Billy just made a face ?

"Yeah, I hope so. Well, I guess I'll see you around, if you want to see my mother, she's in our house, 2 streets away, number 560."

"Yeah sure, I'll greet her too. Have a nice day, Buffy."

"Thanks." I smiled at both of them and walked forward.

Everyone was welcoming for now, that put me in a good mood. It was starting to rain when I arrived at the high school, and I was quite surprised because it really didn't look like a school. It looked more like buildings put together than a school; "Home of the Spartans" was written in capital letters. What it meant, I didn't know.

"Well, let's hope tomorrow will be cool."

I turned back and went straight home.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

I had to go to school by bike; my mom didn't seem to trust me enough to buy me a car. And really, have you ever ridden a bike while it's raining? That's awful. When I finally arrived at school, my jeans were wet at the level of my feet. I parked at the little lot made for bikes and motorcycles and had to cross the cars lot to go to the buildings, most of the cars were simple except a shiny Volvo and a red BMW that was more like a vision than the reality for me. I walked to my first class: Spanish, in building 1. Ha ha ha, where was building 1?? I called to a boy passing by me:

"Hey, excuse me, I'm new here. Do you know where building 1 is please?"

"It's this one, in front of you." He chuckled as he went away.

"Thanks… jerk." I frowned and came in the building.

I found my classroom after several researches and came in, the teacher was already there and a blonde girl talked to me:

"Hey, you're Buffy? I'm Jessica Stanley."

I smiled at her. "Hey, yeah I'm Buffy."

"You're from California?" She had a huge smile on her face.

"L.A"

"L.A? Oh my God!"

"Yeah, that says it all." She seemed nice to me, a brown-haired girl came by her side and looked shyly at me.

Jessica rescued her: "Look Bella, that's Buffy, the new student. See, you're not the newcomer anymore!"

"Hi Buffy." Bella. Chief Swan's daughter certainly.

"You're Chief Swan's daughter. I met him yesterday when I was going for a walk, he greeted me nicely."

She smiled tenderly and replied:

"Yeah, he's very nice. Where do you live in Forks?"

"Just 2 streets from you."

Her face lightened. "Oh great, you can visit whenever you want it."

"Thank you, that's nice."

A tall, bronze-haired, very handsome guy came behind Bella and put his hand on her waist. Her boyfriend.

She turned her head back and smiled a big smile at him.

"Here's Edward. Edward, here's Buffy."

"Hi." His smile was so, so gorgeous. And as I looked at him carefully, I noticed he reminded me of a vampire. His skin was very white, his eyes were deep and he seemed different from the others. But it was daylight so of course, he couldn't be one of them. Bella seemed to notice that I looked at him and I quickly turned my head away. Then she glanced at Edward who seemed troubled now, I saw him pulling her to him. They went to their table without a word but the girl kept looking at him, wondering what was wrong. Jessica chuckled at my expression.

"That's normal, don't worry. They're like only one person. They like to be only the two of them."

"Ah, happy couple. Lucky them!"

"Yeah, that's right!" She laughed with me and then proposed me to sit next to her. I agreed cheerfully. Everyone was welcoming. I put my things on the table and glanced quickly at Bella and Edward, they were talking in a low voice.

**Bella's POV**

"What's wrong?" I tried to keep my voice as normal as possible but I didn't like to see him like this.

"I heard her thoughts, and when she saw me, she thought I reminded her of a vampire."

I gasped.

"But maybe, she was referring to movies." I doubted to believe it but after all…

"Maybe."

I took his hand and told him: "Well, check her thoughts. Discretely, of course."

He chuckled: "You, be discrete."

I frowned.

"You can't stop glancing at her from the moment we began to talk about her, you can't help it; that's a human default."

"If I had this default only …"

He stroked my cheek slowly, shaking his head in disbelief.

I smiled at him. He then began to concentrate, checking Buffy's mind. I glanced a last time at her, she was babbling with Jessica and Eric, who was behind the two girls. I wondered if, behind this pretty face and these blue-green eyes, she really knew something about vampires.

**Buffy's POV**

As I was talking to Jessica, I suddenly felt the way I feel when a vampire is looking at me. I stopped talking and tried to concentrate, looking at everyone to see who was doing this; it was no one in front of me, I glanced on my right, no one either. I finally looked behind me, my eyes to Bella and Edward's table ; that was him, I was positive about it. He then looked up at me and turned his head away as he stiffened. Bella stiffened too, and was now glaring at me. _Exactly what I didn't need_, I thought as I turned back to Jessica.

**Edward's POV**

That girl truly believed in vampires but the ones I saw in her head didn't look like vampires to me. And she couldn't have invented them, the memories were too clear for that. Who was she? I couldn't see anything else than the faces of vampires in her head. Nothing else. I sighed: my Bella wasn't the only one who had a shell around her mind. She gave me a little peace of paper:

**What is it ?**

I took a pen and wrote:

She believes in vampires, she knows we exist but they're different in her mind. Their faces are not normal : they are scary, not especially attractive and stupid. They can't run the way we do. And I can't see anything else.

I gave her the paper back, she read it, frowning at the last sentence.

**What do you mean by "I can't see anything else" ?**

She also has a kind of shell protecting her mind, I can't see what she has to do with those creatures. And the weirdest thing is that she seemed to know I was searching in her mind.

I watched Bella's face as she read what I had just written.

She made a face and shook her head. Then she held up a finger, having an idea apparently. I smiled at her, I loved the way she was so human. I waited for her answer.

**Do you want me to try to get some information ? You know, I could talk to her, be her friend so maybe she'll talk to me.**

I felt a huge smile on my face, she was so diabolically clever. I winked at her to show her I agreed. She winked back and smiled and then she took my hand in hers and put them on her leg.

**Buffy's POV**

What the hell?? This guy felt to me like a vampire, but he doesn't seem to be one. Maybe I was wrong after all… No, no, no. I knew there was something. He looked pale, his eyes had a weird color and I swear he knew I was glaring at him. And the girl? Bella, why is she with him? Maybe he found some trick to go out in the daylight and he waits for her to trust him enough so afterwards, he could kill her. I have to ask Jessica.

"How long have they been together? I mean, Bella and Edward." Edward was an ancient name moreover…

"Approximately 6 months." She frowned at my curiosity.

"6 months? They look great together." I tried to show a simple curiosity instead of a weird one.

She smiled. "Don't they, huh? I admit I'm a bit jealous but they really go well together."

I nodded and smiled. I didn't understand a damn thing about it. Could there be different sorts of vampires? Like there were different races of dogs? I looked at them a last time: they were holding hands under the table. Bella looked happy, and they were exchanging love glances from time to time. Maybe I was wrong… Maybe I wasn't.

"Have you been to the office?" Jessica asked.

"The office? No, why?"

She laughed. "When you're a new student, you have to go to the office first, so they give you a map of the school and your timetable plus a paper that all the teachers have to sign."

"Oh crap, I didn't know! I'll go at the end of the day."

After the end of the classes, I went to the office and then straight home. My mom was there, unpacking things for her gallery.

"Here's the mail, Mom."

She turned back to me, and took it.

"Oh yeah, I forgot it, thanks Buffy. How was your first day?"

"Pretty fine, got some buddies now, that's cool. And the teachers are not bad."

She shook her head. "The teachers are not bad? Buffy, that's their job, they can't be bad."

I nodded doubtfully: had she forgotten her school years ? Some teachers suck, full stop.

I helped her unpacking things and got dinner ready. Afterwards, I went into my room, waiting for the sun to set so I could go patrolling. I decided to take a shower before leaving, it could only relax me ; but as I washed myself, I couldn't help myself thinking about Edward and Bella. Especially Edward, I had to keep an eye on him. We never know.

The air was kind of cold outside so I had to put on a coat – something I never had to do in L.A - and began to go downtown first. Everything seemed calm, there wasn't a single sound ; I passed by Bella's house, she wasn't sleeping yet : the lights were still on. I saw her approaching her bed, and she was talking to someone apparently. Then, she suddenly turned her head to the street and saw me. I waved at her, feeling a little embarrassed. She waved back, her face full of questions.

Downtown, there was absolutely nothing to hunt. I looked for the cemetery and found it near the woods – just like in an old scary movie – and as I entered, I was surprised to find a small place and then I realized how isolated we were here, in Forks. Yet, this town was the perfect place for vampires : lots of woods, the night came pretty fast and people were easy preys as, except for the bears, there wasn't so much danger to worry about. I checked the whole place in about 5 minutes: most of the people died quite a long time ago, far too late for any vampires to "born". I sighed and got out, closing the gate behind me; well, maybe the woods would hide some things to hunt, besides bears hopefully. I thought about what Chief Swan told me, to pay attention to the bears in the woods ; if he only knew the danger in L.A, it had absolutely nothing to do with some bears, they looked more like teddy-bears than dangerous predators to me. I looked up at the sky and told myself I couldn't make it to the woods, it was way too dark so I decided to go home. Normally, my new watcher would come tomorrow, he's the new librarian in Forks High School and I hoped he will be more friendly than the one I had in L.A ; he would certainly ask me about my patrols, what would I tell him ? "Sorry, there aren't any vampires in Forks !" Well, maybe there are after all… I won't talk about Edward and Bella immediately, I think I have to let time pass a little and see how things are going on. Maybe I was totally wrong after all, I hoped at least; tomorrow, I'll try to be nice to Bella so maybe I could gain more information. As I passed by Bella's house, I noticed she was asleep, there were no lights anymore in her room.

**Bella's POV**

I finished brushing my teeth and went back to my room where Edward was waiting for me, like any other night since we're together. As I came into my room, I saw him laid down on my bed, his hands crossed on his belly, turning his head when he saw me coming in.

"Was I too long ?" I asked, teasing.

He sighed. "You're always too long for me." I chuckled and leant to kiss him, then I looked at the street as I had seen something from the corner of my eye. Buffy was walking toward downtown, she waved at me hesitantly and I waved back at her, smiling a bit. Edward saw the curiosity on my face and asked :

"What is it ?"

I watched her until I couldn't see her anymore and laid next to Edward.

"Well, I just saw Buffy. She seemed to go downtown… What is she doing at this hour ? It's quite late."

He stroked my hair and shrugged.

"Maybe going to see a friend or…" And then he laughed.

"Or what ?"

"Well, I don't really know if it's just a joke, but she may be going on patrol. To hunt vampires."

"To hunt vampires ? But vampires can't be killed by humans !"

He raised an eyebrow. "Who said she was human after all ?"

I knew him to well and asked : "What do you know ?"

"Well, there's an old legend, at least as old as vampires, that claims that a girl would be born to become the Slayer near the age of 16. There'd be one Slayer for each generation, this girl would be very strong and very intuitive. It hasn't been proved yet, I've never seen a Slayer, and Carlisle either ; and even if there was a Slayer actually, she would have to run very fast and she also would have to smell different from humans. Buffy just smells like anyone else… Except you of course."

I smiled and added :

"Well, I'll try to get more information and then, maybe we should spy on her finally. If she's really the Slayer, I wouldn't want her to hurt you or the others."

He kissed my forehead and told me, his tone reassuring : "Don't worry love, she won't hurt any of us."

And then, he began to sing my lullaby and I fell asleep, smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

As I awoke, I turned on the other side and destroyed my clock without doing it on purpose.

"Oops."

I stretched and studied my room, there were still lots of things unpacked ; I got up and looked for my clothes, I knew there were two or three cardboard boxes somewhere in my room. I finally opened the door.

"Mom ??"

I heard her walking to the stairs.

"Yes ?"

"Which cardboard boxes are my clothes in ?"

"Right under your window Buffy."

"Thanks."

So those two boxes were the ones I stumbled on when I came back to my room yesterday. I knelt down and opened them ; I picked up a brown skirt, ivory tights and a cream-colored and brown top.

Those plus my black boots should go well together. I dressed, brushed my hair, put on some make-up and then went downstairs. My Mom got breakfast ready for me so I took my bowl of cereals and placed it in front of me.

"Oh, Mom, I need another alarm clock."

"Oh, you broke it again ! How do you do that ?"

I simply shrugged. I wouldn't tell her "Well Mom, your daughter is the Vampire Slayer so she's very strong." I would end up in a white room with no windows. She drove me to school then, and went to her new exposition gallery ; I was glad she found a new place so quickly, she couldn't think too much about the reasons why we had to move. Yeah, actually, it wasn't really usual to put the gym of your school on fire…

As I headed to my class, I recognized a boy I talked to yesterday and waved at him. He waved back and smiled. He looked nice but I didn't know his name unfortunately.

"Hey, Xander, wait for me !" A girl with long reddish hair called.

Xander. That was it. They seemed pretty close with the girl who was named Willow, as he's just called her. As I entered the classroom and sat at my seat, next to Jessica, I saw Bella smiling and coming to me.

"Hey, how you doing Buffy ?"

I smiled. "Hi, I'm fine. What about you ?"

"I'm fine too, thanks. Um… I was wondering, it's none of my business but it can be dangerous so I ask even so : where were you going yesterday night ? You certainly know that there are some animals around here…"

"Oh really ? Er… I guess I'm too used to Los Angeles ! No, I was just going for a walk, that's it. But is it really that dangerous ?"

"Well, it depends on where you go of course, but yeah it can really be."

"Ok, I'll pay attention now, I promise." I smiled kindly.

"Ok, well, you do what you want of course. But I was quite surprised last year when my Dad told me someone was killed by an animal while working you see…"

"Ok, I see. Thanks. I'm surprised too actually." An animal ? Killing someone at work ? Did I really look like a fool ?

She smiled hesitantly and went back to her table, next to Edward. He was randomly watching the front door.

Jessica came and told me about Mike : he invited her to the movies. She couldn't stop talking about it.

**Edward's POV**

"Go now." I told Bella as Buffy sat at her seat.

She listened to me and came to Buffy.

"Hey, how you doing Buffy ?"

"Hi, I'm fine. What about you ?" _Your boyfriend didn't bite you yet ?_

I stiffened at her cynical thought. Was she really thinking I could hurt Bella ? She knew very little of vampires. We weren't all some nasty creatures that hunt and only hunt.

"I'm fine too, thanks. Um… I was wondering, it's none of my business but it can be dangerous so I ask even so : where were you going yesterday night ? You certainly know that there are some animals around here…"

For once, she was good at lying. I smiled as I watched her biting her lower lip, a sign of stress : she hated to lie.

_Animals or vampires __? I can't be sure Edward's a vampire, I think I'll have to talk to my watcher about it._

A watcher ? What was that ? Maybe a kind of supervisor…

"Oh really ? Er… I guess I'm too used to Los Angeles ! No, I was just going for a walk, that's it. But is it really that dangerous ?" _Well, that's quite true. It was more of a walk than a patrol._

"Well, it depends on where you go of course, but yeah it can really be."

"Ok, I'll pay attention now, I promise." _If you only knew my strength…_

"Ok, well, you do what you want of course. But I was quite surprised last year when my Dad told me someone was killed by an animal while working you see…"

"Ok, I see. Thanks. I'm surprised too actually." _Since when do animals attack people like this, while working ? Is she kidding me ? I should know who it was to see if he was bitten…_

The situation was a bit more complicated than I had thought. She planned on going to the library right after the class. Maybe we should finally spy on her.

Bella sat next to me and winced at me. "Well, for now, all I could do is getting nice."

"I know, don't worry. I learned some things : she doesn't believe about the animal attack, she thinks it's a vampire that killed the guy and she'll talk to her watcher after, in the library."

"Her what ? Watcher ? What is it ?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I think about a supervisor, to guide her, she can't know everything and actually, a librarian seems plausible to help her."

Bella nodded silently. "So what do you think we should do ?"

I smiled my crooked smile. "Spy on her."

"I find this exciting." She shivered.

"Do you ?" I chuckled at the look on her face.

**Buffy's POV**

The hour passed quite quickly, I talked a bit with Jessica but we had to cut it out because the teacher was mad at us. But 10 minutes before the class was over, I suddenly heard Edward :

"Bella ? Bella ??" He looked so worried.

Bella seemed to be fainting, he took her in his arms and asked the teacher : "Can I get her to the nurse ?"

"Of course, Edward. Go."

She had her hands around his neck, her eyes closed. She didn't really look paler than usual but it didn't mean she wasn't feeling sick. I shrugged and turned to Jessica who was writing her notes. I couldn't help myself : "What's going on with Bella ?"

She lifted her head : "Well, she's kind of frail. She often faints. Don't worry, she'll be ok. Maybe she didn't eat this morning." She shrugged too.

**Bella's POV**

"You have to pretend to faint so we can get out of here before her." Edward told me.

"Pretend ? Edward, you know how bad I am at acting."

He looked at me intensely and that made my heart thud. He then smiled.

"Ok." I sighed and acted as if we were in blood typing class. I pretend to breathe rapidly and let me fall into Edward's arms.

"Bella ? Bella ??" He pretended so well I almost believed I was fainting. Then, he got up with me in his arms and asked the teacher to go out to the nurse. I felt so good in his hold, I hid my face in his neck to smile at myself.

"Of course, Edward. Go."

The teacher opened the door for him – as if he needed help – and then Edward walked to the back of the building. He didn't want to let me go off his arms apparently.

"Where are we going ?" I asked.

"We're going to come into the library by the rear door so the librarian won't see us."

"Oh." That seemed so obvious, how could he love someone as stupid as me ?

He finally let go of me as we were in front of the door.

"Ok, so now ?" I asked, a bit anxious thinking about spying on someone.

"Well, we have a little time left." And then, he pushed me gently to the wall behind me and caressed my neck with his lips. I felt my heart was going to explode as soon as he began to do this, his touch giving me chills. I gasped and put my fingers through his smooth hair, I kissed his cheek and he took my face in his hands. I didn't dare to move, wanting to kiss him but at the same time, I didn't want him to be taken by surprise so I let him do this at his pace. He approached his face slowly to mine and tenderly put his lips on mine, moving carefully. I reinforced my grip on him and kissed him more passionately ; after 5 seconds, he stopped and stepped back with a smile.

"It's time, love."

" 'Kay." How could he let me like this ?? I took a deep breath and followed him into the library as he took my hand.

**Buffy's POV**

I kept watching the clock when the teacher finally said the class was over. What a relief ! I turned to Jessica :

"See you at lunch, I have to go to the library."

She frowned. "Er…ok, I'll save you a seat."

"Thanks." I hurried to the door and headed to the library. As I came in, a strong smell of old books mixed with dust filled my lungs ; there were some cardboard boxes full of books on the main table. No sign of someone in here.

"Hello ?" I called.

I heard a knock and then an "ouch" behind the counter. I turned on the right and saw a man with round little glasses and British clothes standing with books in his hands.

"Hey, I'm Buffy."

"Oh… Er… Yes, Buffy Summers ?"

What a British accent ! He mustn't feel too far away from England with all the rain in Forks.

"That's me ! So you're my new watcher right ?" I handed him my hand.

He seemed to hesitate and then mumbled, shaking my hand : "Er, yes I am. I'm Rupert Giles. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"For me too, you look quite enthusiasm."

He put off his glasses and smiled.

"Well, your previous watcher has told me a lot of good things about you actually."

"Oh ? Well, so I must be a good Slayer."

He laughed and said : "Yes, I'm sure you are. Tell me, how much do you know about vampires and demons ?"

I sat on a chair and crossed my legs.

"Mmm… The basic things like stakes, the sun and holy water can kill them. They're often stupid especially when they're young ; they like young victims because their blood is fresher… They sometimes are in groups but some of them like to be lonely. The older they get, the stronger they are. Some have psychic powers, like mind-reading or something… What else ? Well, that's all I can think about vampires. About demons, there are less numerous than vampires, but they're much more powerful and dangerous. I've never seen any demon yet."

He put on his glasses and said : "Well, that's pretty good. Some things are missing of course but you'll improve your knowledge with time. Have you gone to patrolling yesterday ?"

"Yes and I wanted to tell you about it. I didn't see any vampires. At least, in town. It was too dark for the woods so I didn't go in, I'll go tonight. There was nothing in the cemetery either. You think I should try Port Angeles ?"

"It's a bit far, let's wait a bit. It's a small town, maybe they'll show up later. Anything else ?"

Was it the right time to tell him ? I'll try to be subtle for now.

"Well… Do you think there could be different kinds of vampires ?" He frowned. "You know, like shoes and boots, or apples and strawberries… Well, you know what I mean."

"Well, I don't really know… Maybe, I can't be sure… Why are you asking this ?"

"I noticed a boy here in the school, he doesn't look like the others. His face is very pale, his eyes are topaz, his name is an old one and yesterday, I felt the way I feel when a vampire looks at me and it was him. It was like he was trying to search something in my mind, that was weird…"

"What's his name ?"

"Edward."

"But he can go out in the sun ?" He was definitely skeptical.

"Yes, well at least, in daylight. It's been 2 days since I didn't see the sun. And he has a girlfriend, Bella, she's totally human, it shows immediately. The difference between Edward and the others is obvious."

He went to one of the numerous shelves composing the library, seemed to be looking for something for a minute and finally picked up two books and then came back.

"Well, maybe we'll find something in these books." He gave me one and we began to search.

**Bella's POV**

Edward quickly looked around the library, he was coming in here for the first time apparently and led me to a small corner in the dark. He sat down and put me on his legs so we were both hidden. The feeling of bliss that overwhelmed me as he was doing this was incredible, it seemed so silly but I really felt happy ; I put my arms around him and couldn't help myself but holding him tight. He didn't push me away at least, and stroked my hair.

"Oh, by the way, you were very good at acting a few minutes ago." He whispered at my ear and smiled.

"Well, I'm improving, that's good." I chuckled silently. The fact that he whispered at my ear had made my heart beat faster, I knew he heard it and I blushed at my overreaction.

"What's wrong ?"

"Nothing, you're just going to give me a heart attack one day."

He struggled not to laugh out loud and kissed slowly my cheek. "Well, I must admit that I love to hear your heart beating faster because of me."

I was going to reply but I heard the door open. Edward put a finger on my lips, showing me to stay silent, I nodded.

"Hello ?" Buffy called.

I tried to concentrate so I could hear more but all I heard was a thud sound following with a "ouch".

"Hey, I'm Buffy."

"Oh… Er… Yes, Buffy Summers ?"

I noticed the British accent of the man.

"That's me ! So you're my new watcher right ?"

"Er, yes I am. I'm Rupert Giles. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He sounded hesitant as he spoke, I glanced at Edward, he was very focused : certainly listening to Rupert Giles' thoughts. He opened his eyes and told me : "She's really the Slayer." I felt my eyes widen.

"Well, your previous watcher has told me a lot of good things about you actually."

"Oh ? Well, so I must be a good Slayer." That sent a shiver down my spine. I immediately thought about what she was able to do, maybe she was strong enough to kill vampires finally… I hated this idea, if she hurt only a small part of Edward, I'll do everything it takes to make her comprehend she wasn't allowed to do this. Edward saw my expression and hold me tighter.

Rupert Giles laughed : "Yes, I'm sure you are. Tell me, how much do you know about vampires and demons ?"

Demons ? I frowned at Edward, he also looked surprised. How many supernatural creatures were there on Earth ?? Then, I heard the sound of a chair moving.

"Mmm… The basic things like stakes, the sun and holy water can kill them. They're often stupid especially when they're young ; they like young victims because their blood is fresher… They sometimes are in groups but some of them like to be lonely. The older they get, the stronger they are. Some have psychic powers, like mind-reading or something… What else ? Well, that's all I can think about vampires. About demons, there are less numerous than vampires, but they're much more powerful and dangerous. I've never seen any demon yet."

Buffy's voice was a little clearer, she might have sat on a chair. She'd never seen any demons but unfortunately, it didn't mean they didn't exist. Could a demon hurt a vampire ? Oh, damn, I was getting more and more worried about Edward's safety. I wanted to ask Edward but I'd rather wait.

"Well, that's pretty good. Some things are missing of course but you'll improve your knowledge with time. Have you gone to patrolling yesterday ?"

I made a face to Edward, showing him he was right about yesterday evening. He raised his eyebrows.

"Yes and I wanted to tell you about it. I didn't see any vampires. At least, in town. It was too dark for the woods so I didn't go in, I'll go tonight. There was nothing in the cemetery either. You think I should try Port Angeles ?"

"It's a bit far, let's wait a bit. It's a small town, maybe they'll show up later. Anything else ?"

The mention of Port Angeles reminded me about that night last year, hopefully Edward had been there… I shook my head to get rid of this thought.

"Well… Do you think there could be different kinds of vampires ?" I frowned. "You know, like shoes and boots, or apples and strawberries… Well, you know what I mean." I glanced at Edward in disbelief, his face was grave but he was still stroking my hair.

"Well, I don't really know… Maybe, I can't be sure… Why are you asking this ?"

"I noticed a boy here in the school, he doesn't look like the others. His face is very pale, his eyes are topaz, his name is an old one and yesterday, I felt the way I feel when a vampire looks at me and it was him. It was like he was trying to search something in my mind, that was weird…"

As soon as she began to say this, I knew she was talking about Edward and I pinched my lips not to panic. I didn't want this girl to bring mess in my vampire family, I didn't want her to hurt any of them. Edward caught my mood and took my face in his hands, and brushed my lips with his, whispering : "Don't worry, Bella." I nodded.

"What's his name ?" Oh oh.

"Edward." My heart raced.

"But he can go out in the sun ?"

"Yes, well at least, in daylight. It's been 2 days since I didn't see the sun. And he has a girlfriend, Bella, she's totally human, it shows immediately. The difference between Edward and the others is obvious."

Edward was now frowning and I felt his fists against my back. I caressed his hair.

Then I heard the librarian coming towards us, he stopped, took two books and came back to Buffy.

"Well, maybe we'll find something in these books." And then it was silent.

Edward carried me in his arms so I couldn't make any noise getting up and we got out of the library.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

I sighed as we were now in the hall, I tried to decipher Edward's expression but he seemed to be very concentrating. Two seconds later, Alice was next to me ; that sudden apparition made me jump a little. Edward was still holding me tightly next to him as he spoke to his sister : "So, what do you see ?"

"Well, it's kind of blur yet, but she's not bad in the core. I think she'll understand if we explain everything to her."

I had an idea : "What if we go now into the library and talk to her ?"

Alice nodded : "That sounds like a good idea. You should both go and tell them."

Edward thought about it for a minute and nodded too : "Ok, let's go."

"I'll see you at lunch." Alice walked back to her class.

His face was grave but he seemed to smooth as we entered the library by the main entrance. He was holding my hand tight.

**Buffy's POV**

I was pretty desperate because there was nothing in those books that I didn't know already.

"Giles, I find nothing at all. It's only talking about the vampires we know."

"Mmm…"

I lifted my head : "What does "Mmm" means exactly ?"

"Well… There's the mention of incredible speed in those lines but I have to translate the following ones. The vampires we already know cannot be so fast."

Then something came to my mind. "Giles ? I don't have the strength to fight those new vampires if they're impossibly fast, I can run like an athlete but no more."

"I'll talk to the Watcher's Council once we find more information."

"Where is this Council ?"

"In England."

"Oh obviously," I muttered.

He was about to answer when I heard the door open. Edward and Bella, holding hands, were coming in. I got up and got closer to Giles. Just in case. Bella seemed a little embarrassed whereas Edward looked… calm.

"We heard your conversation and we'd like to talk to you."

"About what ?" I was curious now.

"Well, you're right, it looks like there are different kinds of vampires. I'm a vampire but not the same you already know. And I think we have to make things clear before you decide to do anything."

I observed them carefully, he was telling the truth. I looked up at Giles, he seemed completely speechless for now. I pointed them two chairs in front of me : "Ok, let's talk."

They sat calmly and I began : "Alright, so you know the vampires I already know ?"

He smiled a little. "Not exactly, I saw them in your mind. But I've never seen any of them."

In my mind ? I hated this idea not to have any privacy now.

"Er… Ok, so you can read everyone's mind ?"

Bella smiled and said : "Except mine."

"Why that ?" Giles finally awoke.

"We don't know, maybe my mind doesn't work the same than yours." She looked up at Edward.

"Alright, whatever, so what's the difference between you and the vampires I usually know ?"

Edward took a breath. "We are made to hunt humans too but my family and me don't want this. We chose to only hunt animals since the beginning. We can't be killed by stakes, by holy water or by the sun. But we can't go out into the sunlight in front of everyone because our skin… sparkles : people would know we're different."

I tried to imagine his skin sparkling and it had to be something quite impressive. "Carry on."

"Some of us have powers like mind-reading, seeing the future, being able to give positive vibes ; we also run very very fast, you can't even see us moving in that case, our strength is incredible and we can only be killed by putting us in pieces and being burnt."

"How strong are you ? I think we should compare." I turned to Giles. "Do you have something quite solid we could break or bend ?"

He took a key into his office and opened a cage, and then searched into a shelf. He gave us iron bars. I took one and began to bend it as much as I could but I couldn't break it. I almost didn't have enough strength now. Bella had her eyes wide opened as she was watching me. Edward sighed and broke the iron bar immediately. I opened my mouth in disbelief. How could Bella be his girlfriend ? I would be afraid in her place. He looked at me frowning. Oh yeah, that's right, he could read minds.

"You see what I mean ?" Edward asked.

I nodded silently. "Yeah, I see what you mean. Are there a lot of vampires like you out there ? Because I'm made for vampires I know, not your kind. I couldn't be efficient with your kind."

"No, there aren't so much. There's another family like mine in Denali, in Alaska but we don't encounter trackers that much." He made a face and so did Bella.

"A problem ?" I asked.

Bella replied : "Well, we met one of them last year, he wanted to kill me but Edward and his family protected me."

I nodded. Not sure to really understand the whole story.

"This vampire was a real tracker, once he smelled a prey he appreciated, he couldn't stop until he had it. I saw he would never stop to look for Bella, so we separated : Bella went to Phoenix with Alice, my sister, and Jasper while me, my parents, Rosalie and Emmett tracked him. And we finally killed him."

I could see there was something he didn't want to say but I didn't ask. I already knew a lot.

I turned to Giles, not wanting to embarrass them more. "Ok, what are we going to do ? I don't have that strength, I'm useless here."

He put off his glasses. "Well, I'm calling the Council."

"The Council ?" Bella asked.

I explained. "It's the Watcher's bosses if you like."

"Oh, I see."

"Are your senses ultra-developed ?" I asked Edward.

"Well, yeah, we can smell from a quite long distance if we concentrate. We also have extra-hearing and sight. All of our senses are ultra-developed actually."

"Do I smell like the rest of humans ?"

"Yes."

"One more reason that I'm not made to kill those vampires. No offense, I won't kill you or your family since you don't hunt people."

"Were there a lot of vampires in L.A ?" Bella asked, frowning.

"Yes, a lot. Really a lot. But they're mostly young so very easy to kill."

"With a stake in the heart ?"

"Yep, and they become dust."

"Dust ?" She was totally interested now.

"Yeah, and they go right back to hell. Oh, that makes me think about something else : do you still have your soul ? Or did a demon take your soul and replace it ?" I was now looking at Edward.

"A demon ? No, I'm still the same. When we become vampire, we only gain some aspects but we don't lose who we really are."

"How do you become a vampire then ?"

He sighed and replied. "We have venom in our mouth and in our veins, if we bite someone, the venom spreads in the whole body thanks to the heart beating ; it takes three days for the change to be done."

"So the heart still beats during those three days ?"

"Yes, and then when it stops, you wake up as a vampire. The eyes of the newborns, as we call them, are red, then with the years, they become golden-brown when not thirsty, and black coal when it's the case."

I tried to order all those new information in my mind. "Does your face change when you're ready to attack ?"

"No. The vampires you had to fight are frightening, I must admit."

I laughed nervously. "Yeah, they are, especially when you're 15 and you're brought in a cemetery by someone who tells you what's your destiny…"

"15 ? You've been doing this for 2 years now ?" Bella asked.

"Yes, and it's never going to stop. Until I die of course, a new Slayer would be sent then." I looked down.

She took a deep breath. "Must be horrible…"

"True, sometimes you feel like you carry the weight of the whole world on your shoulders. Tell me, I don't want to be rude but… How do the two of you… Well, have a relationship ?"

Bella chuckled. "Our relation is more than just a simple crush. It's different. We have to pay attention."

Edward looked down.

"Oh, ok, anyway, Jessica's right, you two are cute together." He smiled at this.

"Yeah," Bella simply replied.

I got up and turned to Giles, who was still looking for the phone number of the Council. "Giles, do I have to go patrolling tonight ?"

"Mmm… Yes, you can do it." And then he came back to his researches.

"Alright." I looked up at my watch. "Oh ! I have to go, Jessica must be waiting for me. You wanna come with us ?"

Edward replied, smiling. "We'll join in a few minutes."

I smiled back at them and ran to the cafeteria.

**Edward's POV**

I looked up at Bella and got up. She did the same. Giles then come to us.

"Er… I wanted to ask you Edward. Have you ever heard of a vampire called Angel or Angélus ?"

I frowned, it didn't ring a bell at all. "No, I'll ask my family, especially my father because he's the oldest and I'll tell you. Why ?"

"Because he's the only vampire like the ones Buffy already fought who has a soul."

"What does it mean exactly ?" I was seriously intrigued now.

"Well, this vampire was the cruelest of all and when he killed a young girl from a Romanian tribe, they cursed him with a soul. Now he can only survive with animal blood. It was just a simple curiosity, you don't have to worry."

"I'll tell you tomorrow if my family knows something."

"Yes, thank you."

And then, I led Bella to the exit.

"A vampire with a soul ?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's weird. Come on, let's go to the cafeteria. I'll ask the others and join you at your table." I stroked her smooth hair.

"Ok." She said as she took my hand.

**Buffy's POV**

The food looked way better here than in my previous high school, so I chose my food carefully. After the check, we sat at a round table with Jessica and Angela. Angela asked :

"Where are Edward and Bella ?"

I replied : "They're coming, I see them in the line."

"Oh yeah, I haven't seen them." She chuckled.

Bella joined us while Edward went to sat with his family. I've never seen them before. They looked exactly like him, as beautiful as him but with some differences of course ; the blonde girl was the prettiest. Her hair was awesome, not flat like mine. I pouted and pushed my chair a little so Bella could place another one for Edward.

Jessica asked Bella : "Edward doesn't sit with us ?"

"Yes he will, he just has something to ask his family."

"Oh ok."

Bella glanced at me from the corner of her eye, I winked at her. Angela frowned and said : "What the two of you are hiding ?"

Bella blushed, I rescued her : "Girls stuff, right Bella ?"

"Um… Yeah, kinda yeah."

"Alright, it has something to do with a boy ?" Angela insisted. Damn.

"Well, I admit, ok that's it."

Jessica stopped drinking suddenly and almost choked saying : "Who ? Is he in the school ?"

Bella said : "No, he's out of town, in L.A actually."

"Oh." Jessica began to eat again, she would let go. I said "thanks" to Bella. That would be hard to talk about a boy I wasn't interested in since there was no one.

Edward finally came and sat next to Bella. His tray was full but I'm sure he wouldn't eat anything. Bella smiled at him and ate. I did the same. Edward's face was unreadable, whatever his family told him, I couldn't guess at all. We would have to wait. And then, I looked up at his family and my heart stopped. The blonde girl was glaring at me so meanly that I was surprised and gasped. What's her problem ?? I did the same – if she thought she was scaring me, she was dead wrong – and suddenly, she turned her head away, looking at her tray. Edward was staring at her. I looked at Bella in confusion.

"Don't worry, she's like this with everyone."

I nodded and raised my eyebrows. Some friendliness that girl had !

Bella and I hurried to eat and got out of the cafeteria. Immediately, she asked Edward : "So, what did they say ?"

"They never heard about any vampires named Angel or Angélus. I'll ask Carlisle. Oh and Buffy, sorry about Rosalie, she doesn't really like it when someone "interferes" in her life. She thinks you may be a threat."

I was shocked. "Me ? A threat ? For what ? I mean, you're so much stronger than me and you're nice, I won't hurt any of you guys."

"I know, let's time pass." Edward left us in front of our classroom, he had Spanish with another teacher. I went to sat at the table Bella showed me ; he caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead before leaving. Their love seemed to be so pure, I wish I could know this too… But my destiny was locked into being a Slayer. Not really attractive, I sighed as Bella sat next to me.

"What's wrong ?"

"Your love seems so pure, would I ever get the chance to live something like this ? No, because I'm the Slayer. I'll have to spent the rest of my life with vampires and demons, and all other kind of freak – sorry, I didn't mean to say freak."

She laughed at the look on my face. "You could meet someone who would understand."

"Mmm…" I didn't really believe in this.

I wanted to ask her from the beginning. "Tell me, how Edward and you met ?"

"Um… It was a year ago, I was a newcomer in town and we had several classes together. Everyone was fleeing him or his family because they must be away from the humans you see, but I was the one who put interest in him. We've learned to know each other and finally, declared ourselves." She smiled and blushed.

I chuckled slightly : she blushed so easily. "So, how old is he ?"

"He was changed in 1918, Carlisle, the man who changed him, found him dying of Spanish Influenza. He was all alone, his parents had died from the disease already. So Edward was the first member in the family Carlisle wanted to built, then followed his wife, Esme and then Rosalie."

"His wife ? Vampires can get married ?"

I laughed. "It's pretty easy to make fake IDs."

I raised my eyebrows. "Well, yeah I guess. I wanted to tell you : my job – or rather fate – may stay a secret. Like your situation of course."

She nodded rapidly. "Yeah, sure you don't have to worry, Buffy."

I smiled at her, I appreciated her.

"Miss Swan and Miss… Er… Summers, would you please shut up ?" The teacher said.

I nodded in apology. Bella blushed again, of course.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

I kept on patrolling every night, sometimes Edward and Bella came with me, but in two months, not a single vampire had appeared. One kind or the other. I was totally useless here but couldn't deny that it felt really good, I could finally rest and live my life normally ; even if sometimes, I thought about all those people who were killed around L.A… Giles carried on working as a librarian, he had met the pretty new computer teacher, Jenny Calendar, and was constantly joyful ever since. The love affair between Edward and Bella was as intense as always, they often went to their meadow ; and me ? Well, nothing, ha ! Actually, Xander once invited me for dinner but he's not really my type… And this is very hard to refuse an invitation and break all his hopes, believe me. So, my life was pretty calm, my Mom was still working in her gallery and it was quite popular so she was happy. And that was what counts the most : she was happy and had more trust in me – even if she didn't want me to go out sometimes. But she knew I had good friends so she wasn't really that worried about me. And I didn't want her to. So, today, this was going to be a good day again and, oh my God, it was finally sunny. I hurried to the door.

**Bella's POV**

Something has been wrong these days. Edward wasn't the same since… Well, since Jasper had almost attacked me but it wasn't his fault. I was just too clumsy and had to wait for Jasper to be around to cut my finger while preparing some food. I wanted to talk to Edward, to ask him what was exactly wrong, whether he resented me or not but I didn't want to make him angry. He didn't stay last night and as I got up, I went to the bathroom to check it didn't show that I had been crying. My eyes were a bit red but that's it. I sighed and dressed up. Then, I went downstairs and walked to the kitchen ; he was here, sitting on one of the two chairs of the kitchen.

"Oh, hi."

"Hi." He simply replied without looking at me.

I got my breakfast ready and didn't dare to speak, but I wanted to ask for the truth. I sat in front of him and waited. The feeling of nausea that was overwhelming me prevented me from eating.

"Bella, I must tell you something."

I swallowed with difficulty. "Yes ?"

"I'm leaving." He had said this with hard eyes.

I put my spoon down on the table, not wanting to drop it. I inhaled rapidly and asked : "Wh- what ?"

"I'm leaving today." He repeated.

"Why ? I don't understand…" My voice was trembling.

"So I won't put you in danger anymore, you could live the life you want." He was now looking at the table.

"In danger ? Edward, I'm safe with you. What are you…" And then, I got it. "It's about last time with Jasper, isn't it ? Edward, that was nothing. It was my fault, I was too clumsy, that's it."

"It wasn't your fault. I should've never allowed myself to be with you."

Pain mixed with fury invade me. "WHAT ? So you finally regret ! Edward, you promised to stay with me, you promised me not to leave !"

"As long as it's what's best for you." How could he stay so calm ??

"I'm the one who can decide what's best for me, you hear me ? No one else !" I was about to break in tears, knowing that I couldn't keep him from leaving if he wanted it.

"Edward, you can't do this. I can't… I'm nothing at all without you. We could go together, somewhere for a while if you need it." I was now begging.

He looked up at me, his eyes were so hard…

"I don't want you to come with me."

I couldn't speak at first. Had I just imagined what he told me ? Or did he really say it ? He didn't want me anymore.

"You… don't want me ?"

"No." And then he got up. I did the same immediately. I wasn't ready for him to leave, I would never be able to stand this.

"Where are you going ?" I asked.

"I honestly don't know. You have to promise me something."

"Anything." I could do everything for him.

"Get over me. Live your life the way you want it. You'll never see me again, I'll never come back in your life. It'll be as if I'd never existed."

As if he'd never existed ? How could I do this ? I felt him in every inch of my body every time. That was impossible. I felt the tears filling my eyes and then, he held me a last time and disappeared.

I stayed still for several minutes, unable to move. He has gone. For good. He will never come back. I finally felt my knees got weak and collapsed on the floor and cried like I had never cried before.

**Buffy's POV**

Ah finally, I could use my sunglasses ! I was wearing a white t-shirt, with a baby blue skirt. I was in a hurry to see Bella, just to babble with her ; actually she was my best friend now. Maybe because of the vampires stuff… But either way, we had many common points and at the same time, there were many differences between our personalities. So we could just get on well together. Plus, the Cullens were great – except Rosalie of course, I'll never understand her problem – I really appreciated everyone.

When I arrived at school, I was surprised to realize that Bella's truck wasn't here yet, she should be here… And even if she didn't come, she would warn me, I knew it : she warned me anytime she was sick and couldn't come to school, so there was no reason she wouldn't tell me today. I decided to wait on a bench so I would see her arriving at least but 2 minutes before the first class began, she still wasn't here. Alright, something was wrong. I didn't know what but something was wrong because Edward wasn't here too. And I haven't seen Rosalie's car in the lot. I thought for a second, took my bike and came back towards her house. The ride took 10 minutes and I saw that her truck was still in the front yard. I let my bike on the ground and came into the house. At first, it was calm. No one was in the kitchen but I noticed that the 2 chairs were pulled and that the table hasn't been cleaned ; Bella didn't even eat her breakfast. What the hell was going on here ? I went to the living-room but it was empty too. Anxiety grew up in me as I went upstairs, maybe she was in her room after all or maybe she was too sick so she couldn't warn me and Edward didn't think about telling me too… The door of her room was closed, I approached my ear from the door but couldn't hear anything. I finally knocked.

"Bella ? Are you in here ?" I called.

No answer.

I knocked and called her again. As there was still nothing, I opened the door. She was on the floor, looking at her photo book. I walked to her and noticed that two pictures were missing in her photo book, two pictures of Edward…

"Bella, what's wrong ?"

She looked up at me.

"Oh My God, you've been crying ! What's going on ?" I said quite loudly.

"He's… He's gone… Edward's gone."

And then she broke in tears. It took me a few seconds for it to sink in. Oh. He has gone. The man – well, vampire actually – that she called the love of her existence has gone. Why ? When ? WHY ??

"What ? Why ? When ?"

"This morning. it's because of what happened last weekend, I cut my finger while cooking and Jasper attacked me, hopefully, Edward was here. But he told me… that he didn't want me to be in danger anymore. And he told me that…" She was now searching for air.

"He told you what ?"

"He told me that it'll be as if he'd never existed, that I'll never see him again. How am I supposed to go on with my life ?? Knowing that he's somewhere in the world and that I'm here, without him, that one day I'll finally die whereas he would still be here."

I took her in my arms and didn't say anything. Because I knew that nothing could comfort her right now. She was so in love with him, she loved him so much. What do you want me to say ? Honestly, I didn't know how to react to her sadness. So I just held her for a long time until she finally calmed down. He knew I would be here for her, it certainly helped him to make this decision. But either way, even if she had me, what was he thinking ?? I was angry right now. He didn't have the right to leave her this way, or to just leave her. Didn't he know she was frail ? Even if she was often trying to show a strong side of her.

"You know what we're going to do ? We're going to stay here today, or we can go out if you want. But whichever you choose, I'm staying with you," I told her.

She nodded. "I wanna stay here, thanks Buffy, really, I don't want to be alone."

I smiled at her gently.

**Edward's POV**

As soon as I left Bella's house, I began to run, run and run again. I didn't want to hear her heart beating faster because of the sadness anymore. I know I had hurt her in the deepest of her soul but it was for her sake that I did it, I wanted her to be happy and safe. And it couldn't be the case with me around. If I could cry, I would be have been from the moment I told her I was leaving ; the pain on her face was unbearable. She was so expressive. I didn't know where I would go but I was still running : this was my way to ease the pain. Because even if I could easily hide my feelings, I was actually a mess ; she was the one who awoke the human in me, she was the only one I've ever loved, and I was condemned to live without her. To tell myself than one day, she'll find someone else. A human. A man who would not represent any danger for her. But unfortunately, a man who couldn't love her and protect her the way I can.

*******

**OCTOBER**

**NOVEMBER**

**DECEMBER**

**JANUARY**

**FEBRUARY**

**March**

*******

**Buffy's POV**

6 months already that Edward left. And at the beginning, I was really desperate because nothing I could do would comfort Bella. She was still this lifeless girl, who stayed in her own bubble ; I was the only one she talked to, Jessica didn't care anymore and Angela waved from time to time. But that was all. If I wasn't here, she would be all alone… But I was here so…

Tonight was a full moon so it was well lighted, I would go patrolling – for once ha ha. I really hoped vampires would choose this night to appear so at last, I could have something different to tell Bella besides homework. Normally, she was in my room, waiting for me. I'll try to be fast, I didn't like the idea of her being alone. It gave her too much time to think about Edward. I went downtown and in the cemetery first, as usual, and then I would go into the woods. Nothing downtown and in the cemetery. The woods would be empty for sure, once again… I was headed to the deep and dark forest when I felt someone behind me, I pretended not to have noticed and carried on at the same pace. But then, I heard that the person who was following walked a little faster than before. I suddenly stopped and turned around. And saw… no one. Pfff, what the hell ?

"Come on, I know you were following me, no need to hide." I called out loud.

At first, I saw nothing. But then, a figure came out from nowhere and I could see that it was a man, pretty tall, thin. He immediately reminded of Edward but it wasn't him : his walk was different. As gracious as his' but different even so. He came closer to me so I could see him clearer. I tried not to show it but he was very handsome and pale. And his eyes had something. A vampire, for sure. I got ready to fight.

"I mean no harm," he said calmly.

"Don't you ? You're a vampire, I can feel it. Who are you ?"

"Angel."

Angel. Or Angélus. The vampire with a soul. Giles told me about him a few weeks ago. Edward and his family had never heard about him, but he was in several books. The cruelest of all, when he was Angélus.

"The vampire with a soul ?" I asked, though I knew the answer.

He chuckled lightly. "Yes."

"What do you want ? Why are you following me ?" He had a slight smile on his face but I couldn't guess what it meant.

"I know you're the Slayer. I came to warn you."

"About what ?"

"Other vampires, the other kind."

"Are they coming ?"

"They're already there, around. But I don't know exactly where."

"What are they planning to do ?" I began to shiver.

"They're puzzled by you. They thought the Slayer didn't exist."

Obviously. "But you do ? Have you ever doubted ?"

"Never."

There was something terribly bothering and attractive at the same time about him.

"You live in town ?" I asked.

"Yes, I'll be here if you need help."

"I don't even know you."

"Everything has a beginning." He said, and then walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

I stayed still for a while. Other vampires were finally here, but I wasn't ready for this fight. I had to talk to Giles about it, but for now, I had to go home. To tell Bella. She had to pay attention now. I ran and hoped that I hadn't been too long as I climbed the wall and came back into my room by the window. Bella was here, on the bed, looking at a book. She closed it as she saw me and smiled.

"So, nothing new ?" She asked.

I made a huge smile. "Yes, something new, finally. I saw Angel."

Her eyes widened. "Angel ? The vampire with a soul ? Really ?"

"Yes," I replied as I put my weapons back in place. "He's in town for now, he told me that other vampires were coming because they thought I was a legend." I rolled my eyes.

"Other vampires ? Like… ?"

"Like the ones you know. Not my type, and I must say that I'm a bit worried, if they just want to see me, it's ok ; but if they came here for something else…" I winced.

I saw Bella shivering. "Hey, don't worry, we'll talk about it to Giles tomorrow. The Council had some options."

"Yes I know. How is Angel ?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Well, the vampire-with-the-face-of-an-angel thing is pretty true. Er… And he's here to help me if I need it. I don't know how he could know about me or the other vampires…"

She looked down for a while and then said : "Well, I think it could be a good thing that he's here, right ?"

"Yeah, absolutely. But I've been wondering… do you think he could lose his soul ?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Umm, yeah maybe… I don't really know. We should ask Giles about it."

"Yep. He would certainly know."

We kept on talking for a while and then, she came back in her house.

I fell asleep with Angel on my mind, thinking about his warning. Why would he bother ? I mean, it was nice but he didn't even know me… Well, I guess vampires are weird.

When I opened my eyes in the morning, I realized it was raining. Again.

"Oh no…" I hated the rain, and Bella was sadder than usual with the rain. But we would have things to do today, indirectly thanks to Angel, so her mind would be busy. I think.

I yawned as I got up and picked up my clothes. I decided to simply let my hair fall today, too lazy to do something complicated. My Mom was already at work, she had some special visitors today in her gallery so for once, I had breakfast all alone. And then it struck me : the house was so empty without her. It was almost scary. I hurried to eat and got out of the house. I walked to Bella's home, we were going to school together ever since Edward left. It was good for both of us : I didn't have to get wet and she wasn't alone. The morning was quite boring, I almost fell asleep in Government and I almost ditched Biology but Bella wouldn't. So I had to wait after lunch to go to the library and talk to Giles.

Finally, lunchtime was over and we hurried to the library. Giles was reading a book. He closed it when he saw us coming.

"So, some good news Buffy ? How was patrolling ?"

I crossed my arms against my chest and sat. "Well, yeah, I met Angel yesterday."

"Did you ? Where ?" he asked.

"I was heading to the woods when I felt someone following me, so I turned around and he was there. And he is currently in Forks, because some vampires of the other kind are here for me. They thought the Slayer was a legend so they wanna know."

"And he came to tell you this ?"

"Yes, and that he'll help me if I needed."

Giles raised his eyebrows. "He could be a great help for you Buffy. To have a vampire beside you could influence them… Did he tell you where he lives exactly ?"

"No, he doesn't talk much. He seems quite reserved, but he's around. That's all I know."

As I recalled the way he talked to me yesterday, it reminded me a bit of Edward. Ok, so are all vampires weird and reserved ?

Giles was deeply in his thoughts. "Mmm… Well, I guess we have to wait. But if those other vampires are in town, I don't want you to go patrolling."

I simply nodded. That's when Bella moved. "Um… Just a detail. The vampires you've always known, can they come into a house without being invited ?"

"No, they can't. Not in private territories. Why ?" I frowned.

"Well, vampires of the other kind can. They can come into a house without being invited, so I think we really have to pay attention." She insisted on the word _really_.

"Yeah indeed. We have to be very careful. The Council may have found a solution, I talked to them last week and they sent me this." Then, Giles went to his office and came back with a rectangular box.

"What is it ?" I asked, curious.

"A liquid that I have to inject in your veins so you'll have no scent anymore. Very efficient against vampires of course."

"And why now ? Why not before ?" I asked again.

"Well, it took them very long time to find the right product."

"And what is it exactly ?"

"Mmm, it's like an eraser if you like. No danger for your health, only natural products."

I took a deep breath and sighed. "Alright, go." I removed my cardigan and stretched my arm to him. Bella stiffened. Needles.

"I'm sorry, I hate needles." She said, embarrassed.

I smiled a little : she was afraid of needles but had had a vampire for boyfriend.

The liquid in the syringe was transparent, looked like water. When Giles injected it, I didn't feel anything change in my body. Though my body reacted quite quickly.

"Ok, so now, no vampires could track me or locate me. Cool." I was pretty satisfied about it but a problem still remained. "What about the fight ? I can't fight the way they do."

"We could work it out." A voice coming from the back of the library said. Angel.

Bella looked at me and frowned. I looked at him approaching us.

"Who are you ?" asked Giles.

"That's Angel Giles." I replied.

Bella raised her eyebrows and looked at him. Sadness passed through her face for a moment. I talked to Angel : "What do you mean ?"

"I observed for a while their way to hunt, the way they move. It's very animal. The fight is all about the speed and the technique. I think you could improve with some practice."

I was kind of surprised and looked up at Giles. He was thinking deeply. Again.

"Well, this could help you a lot. This could work, don't you think ?" Bella said to me.

"Yeah, I agree. We should try. I have a class left and I'll come back."

Angel nodded and then Giles told him. "Angel, do you have knowledge in translation ?"

He seemed to hesitate and then said : "Yeah, a bit. You know I got plenty of time so I know some things."

Bella made a face again, Angel certainly reminded her of Edward. I winced at this thought.

Giles said with a smile in his voice : "Well, good. Because I have some texts to translate, maybe you could help me and I was wondering… Have you ever met demons ?"

"Yes. A few."

"Very good."

I decided it was time to leave them alone. "Well, we have work to do too Bella. We'd better go in class."

"Um… Yeah, see you later." She replied to Giles and Angel.

We left the library and walked silently to our classroom. Bella wasn't asking a single question and that worried me.

"Are you okay ?" I asked.

She lifted her head suddenly. "Yeah, yeah…"

"Angel reminds you of him ?"

She sighed and looked down. "Um… yeah, a bit. About some things. I noticed he looked older than us. How old was he when he was changed ?"

I realized she was right. He looked older than us. "Well, I don't know. More than 23 I would say. I'll ask him."

Bella nodded. "You don't anything about him actually ?"

"No, nothing. Like I said, I'll ask." And I smiled. I remembered the way he talked and that made me shiver a bit. He was one in a million for sure. And so fascinating.

I had to come down to earth. He was a vampire after all. It wasn't the right thing to begin to fall for him.

"Oh, we forgot to ask Giles about the soul, you know…" Bella told me.

"Oh that's right. Mmm, could you stay with Giles when I'm gone to ask him, please ? And I'll call you when I'm done with the training, so we could meet at your house, ok ?"

She smiled. "Ok, no problem."

We sat at our usual seats and didn't say a word before the end of the class. Then we both went to the library.

**Bella's POV**

When we entered the library, Giles and Angel were still talking about demons. I caught the words "strong" and "various".

"Hey, we're back," Buffy called. They both got out of the office. Angel made a smile to Buffy and she walked to him.

"So ready to fight ?"

He laughed. "Yeah, we could go to my place. There's space."

"Ok." She simply replied. And then she came to me. "I'll call you Bella." She smiled kindly at me.

"Yeah." I faked a smile back.

And then they got out by the rear door of the library. I turned to Giles. "There was something we wanted to ask you Buffy and I, but we didn't think about it before Angel came. Um… Do you think he could lose his soul ?"

He frowned and then sat on the edge of the big table. "Well… These kinds of curses are very powerful and very hard to break. I think there might be a way but I have no idea what it could be. I'll look for."

I nodded.

"Why do you want to know this ?"

"We were talking yesterday and we thought about it suddenly. It seemed logical in a way."

"Yes, that's right. I'll see what I can find." And he smiled.

"Um… Bella, can I ask you something ?"

I wondered what he wanted. "Yes ?"

"How are you ?"

Empty, like nothingness, lifeless. "I'm fine," I lied.

He watched me for a second and then said. "Ok, I just wanted to make sure."

I smiled and said : "Well, I have to go, I have things to do at home."

"Sure, I'll see you later."

I nodded and left, tears filling my eyes.

I wasn't fine. I was worse than bad. I felt this horrible hole inside of me, like I couldn't breathe anymore. And there was nothing I could do to make it go away. Nothing.

**Buffy's POV**

The place where Angel lived was located in the beginning of the woods, near downtown. It looked like a kind of sanctuary, it was dark, and there was a lot of space. There was also a chimney, a table surrounded by two white sofas. The curtains were dark purple, so the light couldn't hurt him ; there was a sort of bedroom at the rear of the room. He slept at night like any other humans, so different from Edward. Edward used to watch Bella sleep every night until…

I turned around to face him, realizing that he was staring at me. "What are you thinking ?"

"Um… This looks good. I like it. How did you find this place ?"

"Well, I have time at night." He smiled a very charming smile.

I turned my head away. "Ok, how do you think we should start ?"

"Well, first you could show me how you fight usually."

"Alright, ready ?"

"Yes."

And we began to fight – not for real of course – and I was surprised of his reflexes. He knew how to react quickly to my movements, he anticipated what I was going to do. I tried to take him by surprise. In vain. He was as quicker as me and after a few minutes, I gave up and laughed.

"Ok, you're very gifted. How long have you been doing this ?"

"A little more than 100 years."

"Wow, how old are you ?"

"I was born in 1727."

"Where ?"

"In Ireland." He sighed and sat on a sofa. I followed.

"I was not really the kind of son parents can be proud of. I spent every night in pubs and kept arguing with my father. Then, one night I met Darla, she changed me. I became the most dangerous, the cruelest creature on earth. Until I killed this girl, she was part of a Romanian tribe and her folks cursed me. I had my soul back and ever since, I've never killed anyone, I just can't. My life is just remorse and sorrow now."

I was quite moved by this story. "When did you come here, in the USA ?"

"Last year, I met this guy, a good demon, who told me you were going to be the new Slayer. And he knew new vampires were coming. So I came to warn you because they are very dangerous."

"Yeah, I heard about them."

"How ?"

"Well, Bella was with one of these vampires last year. And he left with his family, to give her a chance to live normally. Pfff" I couldn't help myself sighing "pfff."

"But… How ?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I wondered the same at the beginning. His family didn't want to hurt anyone, so they learn to control their thirst. But a few months, Bella was cooking and she cut her finger ; Jasper jumped on her, hopefully Edward was here to prevent him from biting her."

"That's why she looks so sad." He said.

"Yeah, she's even worse than that. She's a mess actually. And that makes me sick, she's my best friend and I can't do anything to make her feel better. Edward left but I think it's selfish, he perfectly knows how much she loves him. He shouldn't have left."

"Even vampires make mistakes." He smiled.

"Yeah, I guess." I chuckled.

We carried on talking about him, about me ; and the time went by quite quickly. I checked my watch and saw that it was already 4.

"You have to go ?" Angel asked.

"Yes, Bella's waiting for me." I replied.

"Ok." He got up.

I did the same. "So do we have training again tomorrow ?"

"Yes, I think we should work on your technique first and then your speed."

"I agree. Thanks."

He walked me to the exit and I took my cell. Two rings after, Bella took the phone of the hook.

"Hello ?"

"Hey, it's me. We're done for today. Are you at home ?"

"Yeah, you can come."

"Ok, I'll be here in 5 minutes."

"Ok."

When I arrived at Bella's, she was preparing some cookies – that chick was a champion of cooking.

"Mmm, cookies !"

She laughed. "Hey, I told myself you'd need vitamins after training. So ?"

"Well, it went pretty well. I showed him how I usually fight, he's so fast, he perfectly knew how to anticipate my moves. And… I know more about him now." I smiled.

"What do you know ?" She handed me the plate full of cookies and sat in front of me. I picked one and took a bite.

"He was born in Ireland in 1727. He met this girl named Darla who changed him, and… well, he became the most dangerous of all and was finally cursed by this Romanian tribe. He came in the US last year."

She nodded. "Where does he live ?"

"In a building that looks like a sanctuary, near the entrance of the town. That's why it took me so few time to come back here."

"Oh, ok, so what will you do tomorrow ?"

"Training again, we'll be working on my technique and speed." I winced.

"What is it ?" Bella asked.

"I'm feeling guilty for leaving you alone."

"No, no, don't worry for me. I'll be ok. You have to train." She reassured me.

"Alright."

And then, someone was knocking loudly at the door.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

Both Bella and I jumped at the noise. I frowned and hurried to the door. Bella followed but stayed behind me. I opened the door.

"Buffy, they're coming ! Would you let me in Bella ?"

Angel. I turned rapidly to Bella who mumbled : "Oh yeah sure."

He then came in and removed the blanket he was using to protect himself from the light.

"They're coming right now ?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes, they're coming here."

Bella's eyes widened. "What ? In the house ?"

"In the woods, just behind the house."

Buffy turned to me and ordered. "Bella, you have to stay here please. I don't want them to hurt you if… Well, just stay here, ok ?"

I nodded. "Yeah, ok."

"Let's go," I said to Angel.

We got out of the house and went behind it. They were already there. There were three and immediately, I felt they were different from the other vampires. Even different from the Cullens. There was something but I couldn't find what. I waited for them to talk.

**Edward's POV**

I was walking round and round, unable to stay still, though it was quite easy for me, as a vampire.

Alice suddenly said out loud : "For God's sake, please Edward, stop going round and round, you're driving me crazy !!"

I looked up at her and said : "If there's any danger and that you see it too lately, I couldn't be over there on time."

She replied : "Edward, we're in Port Angeles, we're close enough. Must I remind you that you are the one you wanted to come here, and I was the only one who wanted to come with you ?"

I knew she was right, but the Volturi were so powerful, they could kill you with a look, or a simple move.

"Look, for days, I can't see anything bad. They just want to meet Buffy, they just want to talk to her. To make sure she's really the Slayer -"

"And how do you think they'll make sure, Alice ??" I snapped. "Don't you think they'll try to fight with her ! And then maybe they'll find Bella !"

"If you let me finish my sentence, you'll know ! She has Angel with her."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Angel ?" I asked, doubtful.

"Yes, he came a few days ago to warn her. Don't panic but a few minutes ago, Buffy was at Bella's house, and now they're behind her house."

I was about to reply when she held up a finger.

"I told you not to panic. Everything's fine, they're just curious. And now that they realized that Angel is with her, they want to see her strength. They're going to fight together so the Volturi would know she's really the Slayer. And they'll simply go back to Volterra."

I calmed down a little but it wasn't enough. I would like to go there. To make sure they won't do anything.

"No Edward, you're so not doing this. They'd know you're here spying on them."

"I know," I sighed.

I finally sat and put my head in my hands. Alice came to sit next to me, rubbing my shoulders.

"It'll be ok, she won't be hurt."

How much I wanted to believe her.

**Buffy's POV**

"How do you plan on doing this ?" I asked, suspicious now. "We fought in front of you, isn't this enough ?"

Aro smiled and then said : "It won't hurt you, I promise. Just let me see what's in your mind."

He handed his hand, I looked up at Angel, who had a worried expression on his face, and then touched Aro's hand. I didn't feel anything but he kept his eyes on me. Then, after a few seconds, he released me.

"Very interesting. You're made for those other vampires but not for our kind."

I shook my head. "Before coming here and meeting Edward, I've had never seen vampires of your kind. I must admit you fascinate me."

He chuckled. "I already knew this. I was wondering something… You two are very, very interesting. You are a very special vampire Angel, and you Buffy, have some powers humans didn't have usually. It would be an honor if you joined us."

"Join you ? What do you mean ?"

"Would you come to Volterra with us and be a part of our coven ?"

It sank in. "You want me to become a vampire ?"

"No, no ! You're a special human, I want you to stay human with us."

Erk. No way. "No, thanks but I really love my life as it is now."

Aro made a face but then turned to Angel, waiting for his answer. He shook his head. "Thanks for proposing but I'd rather be lonely."

I looked up at him, his face was pained. I frowned at him.

Aro stepped back. "As you like, but you know where to find us if you change your mind. Now let's go back to our city. It's been a pleasure."

And then, they disappeared. I sighed loudly and led Angel back to the house.

**Edward's POV**

Alice suddenly stiffened. I got up. "What do you see ?"

"They're gone. Aro read her mind, they're gone. They're going back to Italy. It's ok Edward, Bella's in the kitchen right now, waiting for Buffy and Angel." She replied.

Relief passed through my whole being. I sighed. My Bella was safe.

"Let's go back to the others." I said, I didn't want to stay any longer or I would made the decision to come back to Forks, and I couldn't do that.

Alice sighed. _I'd like to see her_.

"Stop it, Alice, please."

_Ok, ok_.

**Buffy's POV**

As soon as I opened the door, Bella was in front of us, worried. "So what happened ?"

"Don't worry, everything's ok, we fought in front of them and this guy read my mind to make sure I wasn't lying." I said, smiling.

"Who were they ?"

"The Volturi." I said.

"The Volturi ?" She repeated, her expression astonished.

"Do you know them ?" I asked.

"Well, Edward told me about them once. A few months ago, before he left." Her voice cracked.

"And who are they ?" Angel asked.

"A very powerful vampire family. They live in Italy, they can be very dangerous since they have extremely powerful powers but at the same time, they constitute the base of the "peace" that reined between vampires covens." She explained.

I nodded. "Alright, I understand. They seem pretty clever. They wanted us to join them."

"What ?" She gasped. "What did you reply ?"

"No, of course ! What do you think ?" I gasped too.

"We should tell Giles." She said.

"Yes, you're right. Are you coming ?" I turned to face Angel.

"No, sorry. I have some things to do."

And he went away. Bella looked at me and shrugged. She put the cookies in a box and then, we were ready to come back to school. On the way, Bella asked me : "So what do you think about Angel ?"

I was a little embarrassed. "Well, I think we can truly trust him. He was ready to fight against the Volturi, I must say it impressed me."

"Why ?"

"Have you ever seen them ? They are really different, even from the… Cullens. They are scary but so beautiful at the same time. It clouded my mind for a minute."

"You said one of them read your mind ?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yes, he touched my hand and looked at me intensely."

"He touched your hand ? He wasn't just listening to your thoughts Buffy, he was watching everything you've seen so far."

I stopped. "What ?"

Bella sighed and looked down. "He told me that they could penetrate the mind of someone like no one could do it. He might have watched everything you've seen about vampires."

I shivered. "Oh, I hate it ! I can't stand the idea of someone knowing everything I have in my mind. I wonder if it would be the same for you…"

She frowned. "What do you mean ?"

"Yeah, I mean, Edward couldn't read your mind. Maybe the Volturi can't either. I don't know…" Oops, I didn't pay attention not to mention his name, she made a face.

"Mmm."

We were now in front of the school.

"Don't you think Giles is at home ?" Bella sounded worried.

I chuckled. "No way, he loves his books too much."

"Oh, yeah I guess that's right."

That was weird to walk across the school while the halls were empty, everything was usually so noisy during classes. We both opened the doors of the library and came in.

"Giles ?" I called.

"Yes, I'm coming, just a minute."

Bella and I glanced at each other and then we both sat, I put my feet on the table. A few seconds later, Giles got out of his office, a book in his hands.

"So what are the news ?" he asked as he slightly tapped my feet. I removed them, sticking my tongue to him.

Bella talked before me. "Well, have you found anything about what I've asked you ?"

"Yes, everything is in this chapter. The curse can be broken under special circumstances : with a spell, or if the effect of the curse is diminishing. I'm not really sure of what that second part means…"

"Diminishing… The goal of the curse is to make him regret, isn't it ?" I asked Giles.

"Yes, I suppose that's it."

"So, if he begins to suffer less, the effect of the curse will diminish. Sounds logical to me." I shrugged.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, that seems pretty plausible."

Giles stared at us and finally nodded.

"And about the news, I met the Volturi. Those were the vampires who were coming to see me." I said.

Giles looked up at me as if I had shot him. "Who ?"

I hesitated, troubled by his reaction. "The Volturi… Why ? Have you heard about them ?"

"This name sounds familiar. What happened ?"

"Um… They were three, Aro, Marcus and Caius. Angel first came to warn us, then we both came to them. They wanted to see us fighting, so they could see that I was really strong. And Aro also read my mind. He checked the whole story if you like."

"And then ?"

"Then, they saw I was telling the truth, that I wasn't a threat. And they went away. Oh and Aro wanted us to join his coven." I winced.

"What ? What did your reply ?"

I rolled my eyes. He thought the same than Bella. "I said no, of course."

He had removed his glasses while listening, something Giles always did when he was deep in his thoughts.

"What are you thinking ?" Bella asked.

"Well, I was wondering who they truly were…"

"They're like a royal family to the vampires of the other kind. They make sure the peace reins." She replied.

"How do you know that ?" Giles asked.

I kicked him slightly and raised my eyebrows to him.

"Oh yes, sure. Sorry Bella, I should've guessed."

"Do I need extra-training hours now ?" I asked.

He frowned and said : "Of course, why not ?"

"Because the danger is gone."

"The danger is always here Buffy, you should know it."

"Oh please, besides them, there weren't any bad vampires around." I complained, like a little child.

"This is not a reason, Buffy. I want you to be ready, just in case."

I sighed. "Ok, I'll ask Angel."

Bella smiled at me.

"What ?"

"Nothing, Angel could help you for sure." She replied.

I frowned at her and got up. "What if we went to Port Angeles tonight ?"

She crossed her arms against her chest and said : "Um… Yes. Why not ?"

"This would be a girl night, only you and me, to the movies and restaurant. What do you think ?"

She smiled. "Ok, no problem, that sounds good to me."

"Great." I loved to see her smiling, she needed to clean her head from vampires.

We came back to our houses so I could warn my Mom and then, we went to Bella's.

"Let me warn you Buffy, my truck is very slow." Bella said, while changing her clothes.

I laughed. "No problem, you're lucky enough to own a car." I sighed.

"You should ask your Mom again." She shrugged.

"Maybe yes." I waited for her to be done, and we got downstairs.

"Dad ? I'm going to Port Angeles with Buffy tonight."

"Sure. What are you going to do ?"

"We're going to the movies and then to the restaurant." Bella replied, impatient.

"Ok, be careful."

She nodded while I smiled to her Dad and we got out. Once in her truck, she started the engine and drove to Port Angeles.

"Have you ever been over there ?" I asked, curious.

"Er… Yes, last year. I had to check something in a library, and I helped Jessica and Angela to choose their dresses for the dance." She took a deep breath.

I stared at her, wondering whether I should ask her what was wrong or not. But she carried on talking :

"That's when I told Edward about what I doubted. That he was a vampire."

"But you were with Jess and Angela ?"

"Yes, but when I went to the library, I was alone and then, I got lost and there were these guys… Anyway, I wouldn't be talking to you right now if Edward hadn't been here to save me."

"Oh." I didn't know this.

We stayed quite silent for the rest of the ride. When we arrived in Port Angeles, it was almost the night. We found a place just in front of the movies, Bella parked the car and we stared at the movies shown for quite a long moment. I finally proposed : "Why not The Descent ? Looks scary. Or maybe you want another movie."

Bella shook her head. "No, The Descent sounds good. I don't want to watch any romantic movie."

"Ok."

We stood in the line, waiting for our turn to buy the tickets. We were talking about the finals when I suddenly felt something. I turned back to watch towards the buildings behind us.

"What is it ?" Bella asked.

A vampire was watching us. I could feel it and then nothing. He or she has gone.

"Er… A vampire was watching us." I said.

"Who ?"

"I don't know, I can't know this." I shrugged and began to talk again about the finals of Trig.

**Edward's POV**

On our way, Alice had a vision. Some danger was coming in Forks but it was still blur for now. I couldn't stay away. We decided to stay around Forks. We came back to our house but we were very discrete, I didn't want Bella to know I was here. She and Buffy were going to Port Angeles tonight, I would follow them. Just to make sure. Bella parked right in front of the theatre, she looked fine. Maybe a little tired but she was still as pretty as the last time I saw her. They stared at the movies shown and chose The Descent.

"No, The Descent sounds good. I don't want to watch any romantic movie." I felt a sudden guilt inside of me. She was hurt. And so I was too. I sighed.

After a few moments, Buffy suddenly turned and looked toward me. Damn. I watched Bella a last time and came back in my car.

**Buffy's POV**

This movie was the scariest movie ever. And very stressing because of the lack of space. Bella jumped from time to time and that made me laugh. After the end of the movie, we went to the restaurant. Well, not really a restaurant, Bella wanted to go to McDonald's.

When we got home, it was only 9.

"Are you staying a little tonight ?" Bella asked.

"No, sorry. I have lots of homework to do."

"Ok, no problem. See you tomorrow." She hugged me and got in her house.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

**Bella's POV**

When I got into my house, I saw the light from the TV. I came in the living-room and saw that Charlie had fell asleep in front of the TV. I chuckled and tapped his shoulder.

"Dad ? Dad ?"

He awoke suddenly. "What ?"

"You fell asleep."

"Oh yeah, what's the time ?"

"9."

"Guess I'm going to go to bed."

"Yes, me too. Good night Dad."

I went upstairs and got my things ready to go to the bathroom. I took a hot shower and let the water relax me. Every night, I watched my empty bed and thought about the times when Edward used to come. It always hurt the same. The time doesn't seem to ease the pain.

After twenty minutes, I finally got out of the shower, got dressed for the night and dry my hair. I turned on the lights as I came into my room and put my things back where they were. That's when I noticed the little envelope on my pillow. What could it be ? I approached my bed and took it. It wasn't the kind of envelope you easily find in shops. It was rather old and the paper was soft. I opened it, frowning and unfolded the piece of paper inside. I gasped and let it fall on the floor. It was a drawing of Charlie sleeping in front of the TV. I immediately took my cell and called Buffy. She didn't answer. I tried four more times, but nothing. I put my cell in my pocket and discretely got outside. Charlie was snoring, he was sleeping deeply. I went in front of Buffy's house and saw that her window was open and that she has gone, apparently : there was no sign of life in her room. Where would I go ? Where could she be ? She would've warned me if something had happened. Or maybe she didn't have the time. I shook my head and carried on walking to the high school. Giles used to stay late in the library. Maybe she was with him. I didn't want to lose any time so I ran – carefully, of course. But after two minutes, I hit something hard and fell down.

**Buffy's POV**

I went upstairs so my Mom would think I was going to sleep. And after a few minutes, I got out by my window and went to Angel's. I wanted to talk to him a little before working on my essays. When I arrived in front of his place, it was dark and empty. I came in, called him but no one answered. And it was totally empty. The furniture had been removed, this place was lifeless. I checked in the bedroom but there wasn't anything left.

"What the hell ?" I mumbled to myself. And then, someone knocked me from behind.

"Ah !" I fell on the floor and turned back to see 3 vampires – "mine" – and got up.

"Hello Buffy, how are you today ?" The brown-haired woman asked.

"Who are you ? Where is Angel ?" I asked.

The blonde one laughed out loud. "Right behind you."

I frowned and turned back. He was here, indeed, but he wasn't the same. His face was nasty and he was smiling. But this wasn't the smile I knew. I understood very quickly.

"What the hell have you done to him ?" I gasped.

"They freed me Buffy. Don't you understand ?" He said.

They had taken his soul and now he was Angélus, the cruelest creature on Earth. I had to be fast. I ran to him and knocked him so I could pass and run to school. I had to talk to Giles. I knew he was in the library until 10.30 pm every night. I ran so fast it hurt my legs but fortunately, I had enough training to be faster than them. I felt my cell vibrate several times but had no time. Suddenly, one of the vampires was in front of me. Damn, I had to run somewhere else to escape from them. I turned to the woods. They couldn't see me so easily in the dark.

**Bella's POV**

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, Bella. Are you okay ?" A familiar melodic voice gasped.

Alice. I tried to get up but my arm really hurt. Maybe I broke it when I crushed with her. I lifted my head up while she helped me standing up.

"Alice ! Oh my God, Alice ! What are you doing here ?" I held her tight and this move made my arm hurt even more but I didn't care.

"Well, I've been seeing some things. Where the hell are you running like this ?" She asked.

"I found a drawing of my Dad in my room. I was going to the library, I'm looking for Buffy but I can't find her. What's going on ?"

She shook her head. "She's in the woods. 3 vampires called Darla, Drusilla and Spike made a spell to steal Angel's soul. She found out and she's running from them. Don't worry, she'll be ok."

"Ok ? But they are 4, Alice !"

"Trust me Bella, she's gonna be ok."

Could Edward be there ? And help Buffy ?

"You're going to run to the school, Giles' in the library. We'll join you in a few minutes. Go, now !"

I nodded and ran as fast as I could – without stumbling hopefully. I finally made it to school and I was more than exhausted. My lungs were burning but I had to hurry.

**Edward's POV**

Alice was supposed to join me to help Buffy get rid of them. This would be pretty easy.

_I'm here, go stop Buffy. I'll take care of them._

_Don't kill Angel, Alice. Buffy cares for him._

_Ok._

_Is she ok ?_

_Yes, she's in the school right now._

I located Buffy and went to her side, she jumped.

"Oh holy crap, don't ever do that again, Edward. What are you doing here ??" She sounded annoyed suddenly.

"Just trust me." I took her arm and put her on my back and ran as fast as I could to our house. This will be the place she'll be safe.

I put her on her feet and she fell on the floor. She was dizzy.

"Wow, damn. How do you do that ??"

"You're safe here, Bella's in the school."

She nodded and finally got up, shaking her head. She was about to ask questions but I replied before.

"Alice saw what they were planning to do so we came here to protect both of you."

_Edward ! I can't find Angel ! I found the 3 others but Angel's not here. I don't know yet what he's planning on going._

Then, she came in the living-room. "What's going on ?" Buffy asked.

"I took care of the 3 others, but Angel's managed to go. I don't know where he's going yet." Alice answered.

And then, she stiffened, having another vision.

"What-" I held a finger to show Buffy to wait. She stayed silent.

Alice looked at me, with a horrifying look on her face. "You stay here with Buffy, you don't move from here. I'll be right back." I ordered, she nodded.

And then, I ran to school.

**Bella's POV**

I kept wandering in the school. Giles wasn't here, maybe he came home earlier and I didn't dare to go outside. I was way too scared of meeting the vampires. Alice said they'll meet me here so I had to stay here. And then, I heard a noise. I hid in a classroom. I saw a tall and dark figure passing by the room. I tried not to breathe too loudly and waited for a few seconds. Then, I ran to the library : it would be easier to hide among the books. I knew I was making some noise and this wasn't going to help me. I managed to reach the library and came in. No one was here apparently. I went to the rear of the library, hiding behind a shelf. And then, I saw Angel on my right. I gasped : his face was one of a monster. I've never seen anything so scary in my whole life. As he was approaching me, my brain finally ordered my legs to move. I pushed the shelf to make him slow down so I could gain time and ran outside of the library. I was like trapped in the school. I kept running and finally turned right, I really didn't know where I was going but I kept going. Then, I saw him in front of me. I stopped, surprised to see him appearing so suddenly.

"Finally. You know, it would've been faster for you if you haven't run away. Anyway, I like playing hide-and-seek with you… Now, actually, I'm planning on torturing you. So your lover will find your body. I can't imagine what he'll look like when he'll see what I've done to you."

He was now a few inches from me, and he was smelling my neck. I didn't want him to kill me, now that I knew Edward was here, it was again worse. I didn't want Edward to find me. I closed my eyes and tried in vain to escape from Angel's hold. But it was useless of course, even though he wasn't as strong as Edward or Alice. I felt him open his mouth, ready to bite me.

And then, something crashed us both. I collapsed harshly on the floor, my arm hurting like hell. I looked at it and saw that the bone had pierced my skin. The smell of blood overwhelmed me and made me feel dizzy. But as I got up, with struggle, I saw that the exit door on my right, across the hall, was totally destroyed. Only one of my vampires could have done this, I walked carefully to the big hole and watched as two figures were fighting. I couldn't see clearly in the dark but I recognized the growl. Edward. He had hit Angel so he was unconscious and was now attaching him to a tree. Then, he turned to me and saw my arm. He ran to me and took my arm very carefully in his hands.

"Oh Bella, I'm sorry… I should've paid more attention when I crashed you both."

"It's… not… you, Edward," and I fainted in his arms, the smell of the blood too strong.

**Edward's POV**

The blood. That's what made her faint. I carried her carefully so her arm won't move too much and walk to the house. I concentrated and tell Alice :

_Alice, call Carlisle. Her arm is broken._

_Already done, Edward. We're waiting for you._

_Thanks._

The way back home was long but I didn't want Bella to be hurt, and the fracture wasn't that important so I was walking at human pace. She awoke as we were on the trail leading to home.

"Are you okay ?" I asked her.

"Yes, I think."

Alice had opened the door for us so I came in and laid Bella on the sofa. Buffy gasped. "Oh my God, is she ok ?"

"This is just a broken bone Buffy, don't worry, I'll take care of it." Carlisle said.

She nodded and sat down, next to Bella.

Then, she turned to me. "Where's Angel ?"

I'd been so worried for Bella that I had completely forgotten him. "Damn ! I attached him on a tree but we should check he didn't escape."

She shook her head and exhaled. "Is there a way to give him his soul back ?"

Alice came by her : "Yes, we can curse him again. Rosalie and I will do it. You two should make sure he stays where he is."

I nodded, and so does Buffy. "I'll join you outside in a minute." I said to her.

She smiled at Bella and got outside. I knelt next to her and caressed her hair : "I'll be right back soon, everything's going to be fine, I promise you."

She seemed hesitant and stroked my cheek : "But you're going to leave then."

"No, no, Bella. I understood it was a mistake. But if you don't want me to stay, I'll leave."

"No !" She lifted her head and winced. "I told you not to move Bella," Carlisle told her.

"I won't leave love. I have to go now." I kissed her forehead and she nodded.

**Buffy's POV**

_Come on, come on, I know you hear this, hurry up Edward !_

And then, I heard the door slam and he put me on his back again and ran until we reached the school. He gave me a little time to get better and then we went to the tree where he attached Angel. He was still here, struggling to free himself. It was so horrible to see him like this, he wasn't Angel, he wasn't the Angel I knew. Edward caught his right arm and I caught the other one.

"What are you doing ?" Angel shouted.

"Some friends will give you something back, a present," I said ironically.

He looked at me meanly and said : "You're going to regret it, the others will steal it right after."

"I don't think so," Edward said icily.

"Why ?" Angel asked.

"A friend of mine took care of them."

_Alice killed them ? _I asked mentally.

"Yes."

_Good._

And as Angel was going to talk again, an amber light shone in his eyes, he gasped and seemed totally lost. I frowned, looking at Edward, he talked to Angel.

"Angel ? Are you okay ?"

"Where am I ? Buffy, why…"

Edward let go of him and so did I, I removed the rope that was locking him to the tree and explained.

"Spike, Drusilla and Darla stole your soul, we gave it back to you with the help of Edward's family."

He looked at Edward and said : "Bella…"

"She's ok. You didn't break her arm, she broke it before when she crashed Alice while running."

I took his arm and told him. "I think you need to rest for a while."

He nodded and I led him to his home. "Thanks Edward." I said to him.

"No problem."

"Oh, and don't ever leave her again or I'll kick your ass." I turned back and walked away with Angel on my side.

**A week later**

I could say everything was back to normal. Fortunately, Edward and his family were staying – Bella was happy and joyful again - ; I had a close but careful love affair with Angel and Giles and Jenny Calendar were living together now. Finally, I'm really happy I came in Forks : I had wonderful friends – vampires and humans – and even if I missed the sun, I didn't regret so much of Los Angeles. I could finally have a normal life, without killing vampires every night.

The end.


End file.
